Pregnancy and gastroenteritis

A few things can cause gastroenteritis. The most common by far is a viral infection of the stomach, causing stomach flu.
But nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea – typical symptoms when your stomach is off – can also be caused by bacteria or parasites.

Avoid gastroenteritis and food poisoning when you’re pregnant

Can you prevent stomach infections when you’re pregnant? The best thing you can do is the same thing you’ve always done, but with extra care. Hygiene, and food hygiene in particular, is important not just for avoiding food poisoning, but also Listeria and toxoplasmosis.

How to reduce the risk of stomach infections:

• Wash your hands carefully with soap before and after handling food, before eating, and after going to the bathroom, changing a diaper, or handling animals. Remember that hand sanitiser does not prevent some stomach viruses, so soap is your best friend when these bugs are common in winter.
• Rinse fruit and veg thoroughly.
• Check the best-by date on packaging.
• Serve hot food hot and cold food cold.
• Always heat leftovers completely. Most bacteria die around 100°C. Never heat food more than once and always eat prepared food within two days.
• Make sure that all food is cooked all the way through, especially chicken.
• Put leftovers in the refrigerator quickly. Don’t leave food and drinks out in the heat while lingering at the table during a meal – especially outdoors. Store food in covered containers to prevent insects from getting in them. Do not defrost frozen foods and meat on the kitchen counter. Instead, defrost in the fridge or in the microwave.
• Keep raw and cooked foods separate while preparing and storing. Wash cutting boards and tools between uses with different foods.

If you still get gastroenteritis

Pregnancy makes your body slightly more susceptible to infection, but the baby in your belly can’t get a stomach bug. Because a stomach infection prevents you from keeping down food and fluids, there is a risk of dehydration. So if you’re pregnant and have a stomach bug or food poisoning, be sure to get plenty of fluids. Some pregnant people already face nausea and vomiting before getting a stomach bug, which increases the risk of dehydration. In that case, it is extra important to drink plenty of fluids.

Usually, it will pass within a day or two. But contact your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Tired and weak
• Diarrhoea for more than one week
• Dry mouth, thirsty, dark urine – this might indicate a lack of fluids.
• Diarrhoea after a trip abroad
• Vomiting for more than 24 hours that is not subsiding.

Remember to call instead of going in directly – it could be a virus and it could be very contagious.

Please note that all information above is based on Swedish recommendations.